JPH06129735A - Method of exchanging cooling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate an exchanging operation by a method wherein after each of opening or closing valves is closed, a connection of each of pipe couplers is disconnected, a condensing device is separated from a cooler and is replaced with another condensing device. CONSTITUTION:All the opening or closing valves 31 to 34 kept open during operation are closed and then connection of each of pipe couplers 27 and 28 is disconnected. With such an arrangement, since a connection between a condensing device 19 and a cooler 21 is released, the condensing device 19 is taken out of a first machine chamber. After this operation, the new condensing device 19 having a specific amount of refrigerant stored therein is installed in the first machine chamber, female elements 29 and 29 of pipe passages 23 and 26 at the condensing device 19 are connected to male elements 30 and 30 at the cooler 21. Then, refrigerant present in a pipe passage ranging from the opening or closing valve 31 to the opening or closing valve 34 through the cooler 21 is recovered After this operation, the opening or closing valve 38 in a branch pipe passage is closed to remove the refrigerant recoverying device from the male element 37 in the branch pipe passage 35 and then the opening or closing valves 31 and 34 are opened.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for replacing a condensing unit for liquefying a refrigerant and supplying it to a cooler.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as a CPU) of an electronic computer needs to be placed in an atmosphere at a certain temperature or lower in order to ensure reliability. On the other hand, recently,
Since the degree of integration tends to increase in order to increase the calculation speed, and the amount of heat generated per unit area increases accordingly, a high-performance CPU cooling device is required.

As a cooling device which can meet such a demand, a device which cools a CPU by a cooler of a refrigerating cycle has recently been considered. This cooling device is configured such that a cooler is arranged in a storage box formed of a heat insulating box, and air cooled by the cooler is blown by a fan to a CPU stored in the storage box to cool the CPU.

However, in the configuration in which the CPU is cooled by using the refrigeration cycle, if the compressor fails,
Since it becomes impossible to cool, the computer must be stopped. Therefore, two refrigeration cycles are provided,
If one of the refrigeration cycles fails, replace the refrigeration cycle and operate the other refrigeration cycle.
Thus, even if one refrigeration cycle fails, the electronic computer can continue to operate as it is. The failed refrigeration cycle is then replaced with a new one.

Here, the failure of the refrigeration cycle occurs in the condensing unit which is provided in the machine room outside the storage, and which is composed of the compressor, the condenser, the expansion device (expansion valve) and the like. Since the cooler provided in the storage only evaporates the refrigerant and has no moving parts, it does not malfunction. Therefore, the defective refrigeration cycle should be replaced with a new condensing unit in the machine room. However, the condensing unit is difficult to replace because the expansion device and the compressor are connected to the cooler in the storage via a pipe line.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of replacing a cooling device, in which the condensing unit can be easily replaced.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, a cooling device replacement method according to the present invention has a condensing unit formed by sequentially connecting a condenser and a throttle device to a discharge port of a compressor outside a refrigerator. In a cooling device having a cooler having an inlet connected to an outlet of the expansion device via a pipeline and an outlet connected to an inlet of the compressor via a pipeline, A pipe connected to the outlet of the expansion device and a pipe connected to the inlet of the cooler, and a pipe connected to the outlet of the cooler and a pipe connected to the suction port of the compressor, respectively. By connecting removably with each other, and providing an on-off valve in each of these pipelines, closing each on-off valve, disconnecting each of the pipe joints to separate the condensing unit from the cooler, and separate It is characterized in that to replace the down sequencing unit.

In this case, a branch pipe having an on-off valve is provided between the pipe joint and the on-off valve of any one of the pipes, and after the condensing unit is replaced, a refrigerant recovery device is installed in the branch pipe. Refrigerant in the cooler is recovered by the refrigerant recovery device with the on-off valve of the branch pipe and the on-off valves of both pipes connected to the inlet and outlet of the cooler opened and the other on-off valves closed. It is preferable.

[0009]

After the on-off valves are closed, the pipe joints are uncoupled to separate the condensing unit from the cooler, and the condensing unit is replaced with another condensing unit. Therefore, the replacement work can be easily performed. At this time, since all the on-off valves are closed, the refrigerant leaking out can be suppressed to a very small amount.

After the condensing unit is replaced, the refrigerant in the cooler is recovered by the refrigerant recovery device. Therefore, a predetermined amount of the refrigerant is pre-enclosed in the condensing unit so that the condensing unit is immediately replaced. It can be in a drivable state.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a CPU cooling device will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, reference numeral 1 denotes a frame having a rectangular box shape, and a storage case 2 for storing a CPU on the upper portion of the frame 1.
Is provided. The storage 2 is configured as a heat insulation box, and the front surface thereof can be opened and closed by two heat insulation doors 3 and 4. The doors 3 and 4 are of a double door type.

A partition wall 5 is arranged substantially horizontally on the upper side of the storage case 2. The upper and lower space portions partitioned by the partition wall 5 are located at the left and right ends of the partition wall 5 and the storage case 2.
Are in communication with each other through a gap between the left and right inner side surfaces. In the lower space of the partition wall 5, a pair of holding plates 6 and 7 facing left and right are arranged in the left half portion corresponding to the left door 3.

A space between the pair of holding plates 6 and 7 is a storage portion 8, and a CP as an electronic device is stored in the storage portion 8.
A large number of printed wiring boards 9 on which the electronic components that make up U are mounted are vertically and vertically arranged in a detachable manner. The holding plates 6 and 7 are provided with a large number of elongated holes 6a and 7a for passing cooling air between the printed wiring boards 9. The rail 6b is provided on the pair of holding plates 6 and 7.
And a large number of 7b are formed on the printed wiring board 9
Is held by these rails 6b and 7b so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. Therefore, by opening the door 3, the printed wiring board 9 can be put into and taken out of the storage section 8.

At the right end of the space below the partition wall 5, four fan units 10 are arranged side by side vertically and horizontally so as to face the storage section 8. These fan devices 1
In the case of the present embodiment, 0 is sucked from the storage portion 8 side on the left side in the drawing and discharged to the right side in the drawing. Therefore, the air in the storage case 2 circulates in the directions indicated by arrows A and B in FIG. Then, the wind guide portion 11 is provided on the left inner surface of the storage case 2.
Is provided, and the cooling air sent from the fan device 10 is guided by the guide portion 11 so as to flow toward the storage portion 8 side.

On the other hand, the inside of the frame 1 is divided into left and right machine chambers 12 and 13 as shown in FIG. 6, and a cooling device is provided in each of the machine chambers 12 and 13. 1st and 2nd refrigeration cycle 1 which constitutes
A condensing unit 19 including a compressor 16 of 4 and 15, a condenser 17, an expansion valve 18 as a throttle device (not shown in FIG. 6, see FIG. 1), and a fan device for sending cooling air to the condenser 17. 20 and the like are provided.

The coolers 21 of the first and second refrigerating cycles 12 and 13 are stored in the space below the partition wall 5 in the storage case 2 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. They are arranged between the portion 8 and the fan device 10 so as to be lined up and down along the wind flow direction indicated by the arrow B. A heater 22 is arranged between the two coolers 21, and the heater 22 and the cooler 21 adjust the temperature of the circulating air to the optimum temperature for the CPU.

In the present embodiment, the first refrigerating cycle 1 out of the refrigerating cycles 14 and 15 usually consisting of two units is used.
4 is operated, and when the first refrigeration cycle 14 fails, the second refrigeration cycle 15 is operated instead of this.

Now, the first and second refrigeration cycles 14
The piping configurations of and 15 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, each refrigeration cycle 14 and 15
The condenser 17, the expansion valve 18, and the cooler 21 are connected in the same order between the discharge port 16a and the suction port 16b of the compressor 16.

Here, the pipeline 23 connected to the outlet of the expansion valve 18, the pipeline 24 connected to the inlet of the cooler 21, the pipeline 25 connected to the outlet of the cooler 21, and the compressor 16
And the pipe line 26 connected to the outlet of the pipe joint 2 respectively.
7 and 28 are connected. Therefore, the pipe joint 2
By disconnecting 7, 28, the condensing unit 19 can be separated from the cooler 21.

The pipe joints 27 and 28 are composed of a female side element 29 and a male side element 30 attached to the distal ends of the pipe lines 23, 24 and 25, 26 to be connected by welding or the like. After fitting 29 and 30, as shown in FIG. 2 (only one pipe joint 27 is shown), the nut 29a provided on the female element 29 is screwed to the male screw 30a formed on the male element 30. Is configured to be in a connected state. Therefore, the connection of the pipe joints 27 and 28 is released by removing the nut 29a from the male screw 30 and pulling out both the elements 29 and 30.

As shown in FIG. 2, the tip ends of the pipe lines 24 and 25 connected to the inlet and the outlet of the cooler 21 are led out from the storage case 2 to the open / close valve 3 thereof.
Reference numerals 2 and 33 are provided at the portions derived from the outside.

Further, on-off valves 31 to 34 are provided near the respective elements 29 and 30 in the respective pipelines 23 to 26. These on-off valves 31 to 34 have the same structure, and as shown in FIG.
(Only shown), the valve rod 39 constituted by a screw rod is opened and closed by turning with a tool such as a spanner.

A branch pipe 35 is connected to one of the pipes 23 to 26, for example, the pipe 26, between the female element 29 of the pipe joint 28 and the on-off valve 34. ing. A pipe joint 36 is provided at the tip of the branch pipe 35.
The male element 37 is attached by welding or the like, and an opening / closing valve 38 is provided in the middle thereof. The pipe joint 36 and the on-off valve 38 of the branch pipe 35 have the same structure as the pipe joints 27 and 28 and the on-off valves 31 to 34. Among them, the female element of the pipe joint 36 is a refrigerant recovery device (not shown). It is provided.

By the way, the expansion valve 18 has a structure for adjusting the amount of refrigerant supplied to the cooler 21 in accordance with the temperature of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the cooler 21, and is provided with a diaphragm connected to the valve body inside thereof. The heat-sensitive part 18a filled with gas is attached to the pipe line 26, and the diaphragm is displaced by the gas pressure change according to the temperature change of the pipe line 26 to adjust the opening degree of the valve body.

In the above structure, the operation of the first refrigeration cycle 14 is started with the start of the operation of the CPU, and
The operation of the fan device 10 is started. Then, the air on the storage section 8 side is sucked by the fan device 10 via the cooler 21 as shown by the arrow B in FIG. 1, and is cooled in the process of passing through the cooler 21 of the first refrigeration cycle 14. . Then, the cooling air discharged from the fan device 10 flows leftward in the space above the partition wall 5 as indicated by an arrow A in FIG. 1, and then flows toward the storage portion 8 side by the wind guide portion 11. As described above, it flows into the space between the printed wiring boards 9 from the long hole 6a of the left holding plate 6. Thereafter, the cooling air flows between the printed wiring boards 9 and flows out from the elongated hole 7a of the holding plate 7 on the right side, and again passes through the cooler 21 in order to the fan device 10 as shown by an arrow B in FIG. Sucked.
The circulation of the cooling air cools the electronic components of the CPU mounted on the printed wiring board 9.

During operation of the CPU, the first refrigeration cycle 14
If a failure occurs, the temperature detected by a temperature sensor (not shown) provided in the cooler 21 rises, so that the control device determines that the first refrigeration cycle 14 has failed. Due to this failure determination, the operation of the first refrigeration cycle 14 is stopped and the operation of the second refrigeration cycle 15 is started instead. Then, the failure of the first refrigeration cycle 14 is notified by a notification device (not shown).

The condensing unit 19 of the failed first refrigeration cycle 14 is replaced with a new one. The replacement of the condensing unit 19 is performed as follows.

First, all the on-off valves 31 to 34 that were opened during operation are closed, and then the connections of the pipe joints 27 and 28 are released. As a result, the condensing unit 1
Since the connection between 9 and the cooler 21 is released, the condensing unit 19 is taken out from the first machine room 12. Here, if the connection of the joints 27 and 28 is released, each pipeline 2
3 to 26, each element 29, 30 and each on-off valve 3
The refrigerant present between 1 and 34 escapes. However, each element 29, 30 and each on-off valve 31 to 3
Since the distance from 4 is small, the amount of refrigerant that escapes is extremely small,
There is almost no possibility that the escaped refrigerant will pollute the room in which the storage case 2 is installed or the atmosphere.

After that, a new condensing unit 19 in which a predetermined amount of refrigerant is sealed in advance is installed in the first machine room 1
2, the female elements 29, 29 of the conduits 23, 26 on the condensing unit 19 side are connected to the male elements 30, 30 on the cooler 21 side. Then, the on-off valves 32 and 34 of both the pipelines 24 and 25 on the cooler 21 side are opened, and the male element 37 of the branch pipeline 35 is inserted and connected to the female element of the refrigerant recovery device (not shown). Then, the opening / closing valve 38 of the branch pipe 35 is opened, the refrigerant recovery device is operated for a predetermined time, and the refrigerant in the cooler 21, that is, the pipe path from the opening / closing valve 31 to the opening / closing valve 34 via the cooler 21. Collect the refrigerant present in it. At the same time as this refrigerant recovery, the pipe joint 27,
When the connection of 28 is released, the air that has entered between the elements 29 and 30 and the on-off valves 31 to 34 of the pipelines 23 to 26 is also extracted.

After the refrigerant on the side of the cooler 21 is recovered, the on-off valve 38 of the branch pipe 35 is closed and the refrigerant recovery device is connected to the branch pipe 3.
5 from the male element 37, and open / close valves 31 and 3
Open 4 As a result, the refrigerant in the condensing unit 19 is supplied to the cooler 21 side, so that the first refrigeration cycle 14 becomes operable. Therefore, the first refrigeration cycle 14 is operated, the second refrigeration cycle 15 is stopped, and the normal state is restored. In addition,
Even when the second refrigeration cycle 15 fails, the condensing unit 19 is replaced in the same manner as described above.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the pipe joint 2
Refrigeration cycle 14,15 by disconnecting 7,28
The condensing unit 19 of the cooler 2 in the storage 2
Since it can be separated from 1, the condensing unit 19 can be easily replaced.

Since the connection of the pipe joints 27 and 28 is released with the on-off valves 31 to 34 closed, the refrigerant leaking when the connection of the pipe joints 27 and 28 is released is sandwiched between the pipe joints 27 and 28. Only the refrigerant contained between the two on-off valves 31 and 32, 33 and 34 can be stopped, and the adverse effect on the environment can be prevented as much as possible.

Further, since the refrigerant on the side of the cooler 21 is recovered by the refrigerant recovery device, it is possible to recover the air that has entered when the pipe joints 27 and 28 are disconnected.
The new condensing unit 19 is filled with a predetermined amount of the refrigerant in advance, so that the condensing unit 1
It is possible to shorten the time required to reach an operable state after the replacement of item 9.

In the above embodiment, the branch pipe 35 is provided in the pipe 34, but this is the opening / closing valve 31 in the pipe 23.
And the female-side element 29, and in essence, it may be provided anywhere between the on-off valve of any of the conduits and the pipe joint.

In the above embodiment, the first refrigeration cycle 14 is normally operated and the second refrigeration cycle 15 is the first refrigeration cycle.
I tried to operate when the refrigeration cycle 14 of
The first and second refrigeration cycles 14 and 15 may be alternately operated at regular intervals, and further, the CPU
However, the object to be cooled may be any object.

[0036]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. According to the method of exchanging the cooling device according to claim 1, the condensing unit can be separated from the cooler by disconnecting the connection of each pipe joint after closing each on-off valve, so that the condensing unit is exchanged with another condensing unit. Work can be performed easily. At this time, since all the on-off valves are closed, the amount of refrigerant leaking out can be suppressed to a very small amount, and the adverse effect on the environment can be prevented as much as possible.

According to the cooling device replacement method of the second aspect, since the refrigerant in the cooler is recovered by the refrigerant recovery device, a predetermined amount of the refrigerant is supplied to a new condensing unit to replace the defective condensing unit. By enclosing the condensing unit, the condensing unit after replacement can be immediately put into a operable state.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a piping configuration diagram of a cooling device showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a pipe joint portion.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional front view of the storage cabinet.

[Figure 4] Vertical side view

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional plan view.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional plan view showing the arrangement of refrigeration cycle components in a machine room.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 is a storage cabinet, 9 is a printed wiring board, 10 is a fan device, 12 and 13 are first and second machine rooms, 14 and 15 are first and second refrigeration cycles, 16 is a compressor, 17 is a condenser, 18 is an expansion valve (throttle device), 19 is a condensing unit, 21 is a cooler, 23 to 26 are pipe lines, 27 and 28 are pipe joints, 31 to 34 and 38 are open / close valves, and 35 is a branch pipe line. .

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A condensing unit constituted by sequentially connecting a condenser and a throttle device to a discharge port of a compressor is provided outside a storage box, and an inlet is connected to an outlet of the throttle device via a pipe line. In a cooling device in which a cooler having an outlet connected to an inlet of the compressor via a pipeline is disposed inside the storage, a pipeline connected to the outlet of the expansion device and an inlet of the cooler A connected pipe line, a pipe line connected to the outlet of the cooler and a pipe line connected to the suction port of the compressor are detachably connected by pipe joints, and an on-off valve is provided in each of these pipe lines. After closing each on-off valve, the connection of each pipe joint is released to separate the condensing unit from the cooler, and the condensing unit is replaced with another condensing unit. method of exchange. 2. A branch pipe having an opening / closing valve is provided between a pipe joint and an opening / closing valve of any of the pipes, and after a condensing unit is replaced, a refrigerant recovery device is connected to the branch pipe. Then, the refrigerant in the cooler is recovered by the refrigerant recovery device with the opening / closing valve of the branch pipeline and the opening / closing valves of both pipelines connected to the inlet and outlet of the cooler open and the other opening / closing valves closed. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cooling device is replaced.